Press RoomPhoenix Art Museum presents Barbie®: A Cultural Icon exhibition; hosts Valentine’s Day Pink Party Celebration
Phoenix Art Museum presents Barbie®: A Cultural Icon exhibition; hosts Valentine’s Day Pink Party Celebration
Jan, 30, 2024
Media Alerts
Phoenix Art Museum presents Barbie®: A Cultural Icon exhibition; hosts Valentine’s Day Pink Party Celebration
PHOENIX (January 30, 2024) – This February, Phoenix Art Museum will unveil fashion-design exhibitions Barbie®: A Cultural Iconand The Power of Pink, highlighting the evolution and impact of Barbie from child’s toy to global phenomenon and the color pink. PhxArt will host a Pretty in Pink Valentine’s Day Party on February 14 with specially pink-themed programming and access to all special-engagement exhibitions. Additional February programming includes film screenings, artist talks, and much more.
FEATURED EVENTS Pretty in Pink Valentine’s Day Party February 14 | 5 – 9 pm$30 General Public | Free for PhxArt Members | $15 Youth (6-17) Celebrate all things blush at the PhxArt Pretty In Pink Valentine’s Day Party! Bring your S-O, friends, and loved ones or celebrate solo with a pink carpet, fab photo opps, DJ and dancing, complimentary sweet treats, valentine-making presented by Cut+Paste PHX, scavenger hunt, library pop-up, no-host bar with specialty drinks, and more. All event tickets include full access to special-engagement exhibitions, including Amalia Mesa-Bains: Archaeology of Memory, Barbie®: A Cultural Icon, and The Power of Pink. Tickets are available for reservation here.
The Pretty in Pink Valentine’s Day Party is made possible through the generosity of Shamrock Farms. In-kind support provided by Bloom + Blueprint, Latest Craze Productions, and Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix and Eden Rooftop Bar.
LEARN: Art Conservation 101 with Rosa Lowinger February 17 | Noon Free for Members | Included with general admission for the general public Hear from noted art conservator Rosa Lowinger about the day-to-day technical work of art conservation. Lowinger specializes in sculpture, historic buildings, and artifacts and is the founder and current vice-president of RLA Conservation, LLC, one of the U.S.’s largest woman-owned art and architectural conservation firms. She also writes regularly for popular and academic media about conservation, historic preservation, the visual arts, and Cuba. Following the talk, she will join the Lemon Library Book Club to discuss her recently published work, Dwell Time: A Memoir of Art, Exile, and Repair. For more information, click here.
Book Club: Dwell Time with art conservator Rosa Lowinger February 17 | 1:30 pm Free for Members and the general public Join notable art conservator and author Rosa Lowinger to discuss her recently published work Dwell Time: A Memoir of Art, Exile, and Repair. For more information, click here.
EXHIBITION OPENINGS Barbie®: A Cultural Icon February 14 – July 7, 2024 Barbie®: A Cultural Iconexamines the evolution and impact of Barbie from child’s toy to global phenomenon. The major exhibition, created by Illusion Projects and curated by costume historian Karan Feder in collaboration with Mattel, Inc., showcases more than 250 vintage dolls—including the original Barbie released in 1959—from the collections of private collector David Porcello and Mattel. It also features more than 50 historical objects, video interviews with Barbie designers on custom-made Barbie Dreamhouse TVs, and unique photo opportunities, including a life-sized Barbie Mirror-Pink Corvette.
Barbie®: A Cultural Icon was created by Illusion Projects and curated by costume historian Karan Feder, in collaboration with Mattel. The exhibition’s presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is coordinated by Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design. The Phoenix premiere of Barbie®: A Cultural Icon is made possible through the generosity of The Opatrny Family Foundation, Arizona Costume Institute, Desert Financial Credit Union, Men’s Arts Council, My Sister’s Closet, Shamrock Farms, and Miriam and Yefim Sukhman. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
The Power of Pink February 14 – July 7, 2024 To complement major exhibition Barbie®: A Cultural Icon,The Power of Pinkexplores the history, science, and associations of the color synonymous with the iconic Barbie brand. The original display is drawn exclusively from the expansive fashion-design collection of Phoenix Art Museum, with featured garments and ensembles by Gianfranco Ferré, Christian Dior, Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, and more.
The Power of Pink is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design at Phoenix Art Museum. The Power of Pink is made possible by the generosity of Arizona Costume Institute, My Sister’s Closet, and the Kelly Ellman Fashion Design Endowment Fund. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
NOW OPEN Guarding the Art: A Frontline Perspective Through December 1, 2024 Guarding the Art: A Frontline Perspective features works from the Phoenix Art Museum Collection selected by 13 guest curators from the Museum’s security, event-rentals, and retail-services teams, all of whom regularly engage with artworks and visitors in the galleries.
Guarding the Art was founded by the Baltimore Museum of Art with generous support from the Pearlstone Family Fund. Guarding the Art: A Frontline Perspective at Phoenix Art Museum is made possible through the generosity of PNC Bank. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
CLOSING SOON Amalia Mesa-Bains: Archaeology of Memory Closing February 25, 2024 Featuring nearly 50 works created over 45 years, including the artist’s renowned altar-installations, in a long-overdue celebration of her enduring impact on contemporary art both within and beyond the United States.
Amalia Mesa-Bains: Archaeology of Memory is organized by Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) in collaboration with the Latinx Research Center (LRC) at UC Berkeley. The exhibition is co-curated by María Esther Fernández, Artistic Director, The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum, and Laura E. Pérez, PhD, Professor of Chicanx, Latinx and Ethnic Studies, and Chair of the Latinx Research Center, UC Berkeley. Its presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is coordinated by Christian Ramírez, the Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary and Community Art Initiatives.
Amalia Mesa-Bains: Archaeology of Memory is made possible by generous lead support from the Henry Luce Foundation and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The exhibition’s presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is made possible through the generosity of Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Exhibition Endowment Fund. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin. In-kind support provided by Kimpton Hotel Palomar.
OTHER EVENTS Storytime in the Garden February 1 | 10:30 am Free for Members | Included in general admission for the general public Advance registration recommended. Tickets available for reservation here.
Storytime in the Garden is made possible by the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for Performing Arts, The Discount Tire Endowment for Children’s Art Programs, the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs. and Legacy Traditional Schools.
Art Talk: The Art of Amalia Mesa-Bains February 3 | 1 – 2:30 pm Free for Members | Included with general admission for the general public Presented in Whiteman Hall. Limited capacity. Tickets available for reservation here.
Art Talk is made possible by the generosity of the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs.
Art Talk: Laura Aguilar: Nudes in Nature February 10 | 1 – 2:30 pm Free for Members | Included with general admission for the general public Presented in Whiteman Hall. Limited capacity. Tickets available for reservation here.
Art Talk is made possible by the generosity of the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs.
FILM // Black Panther Presented by A Taste of Melanin February 10 | 5 – 9 pm Free for Members and the general public More information available soon at phxart.org.
PhxArt Educator Workshop /// Body Language: Art and Nudity February 28 | 5 – 7:30 pm Free for Members | $10 for Non-Members Materials, light bites, and Museum admission included. Presented in the Education Building at PhxArt. Limited capacity. Tickets are available for reservation here.
FILM // Now Showing: The Watermelon Woman February 28 | 6 pm Free for Members | $8 for the general public Presented in Whiteman Hall. Limited capacity. Tickets are available for reservation here.
Films@PhxArt is made possible by Fit Via Vi Films.
FREE-ACCESS PROGRAMS Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays Every Wednesday | 3 – 9 pm Voluntary-donation general admission SPECIAL-EXHIBITION TICKETS: $6 for adults | FREE for Museum Members and Maricopa County Community College students*
Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays are made possible by SRP and City of Phoenix. *The Maricopa County Community College District program at Phoenix Art Museum (MC3@PAM) is made possible through the generosity of Presenting Sponsor Men’s Arts Council.
Free Admission for Maricopa County Community Colleges Students All Maricopa County Community Colleges students who attend any of the 10 colleges or affiliated skill centers enjoy free general admission to PhxArt, including admission into special-engagement exhibitions. Visitors must present an active student ID at the time of admission.
The Maricopa County Community College District program at Phoenix Art Museum (MC3@PAM) is made possible through the generosity of Presenting Sponsor Men’s Arts Council.
PHXARTIST SPOTLIGHTS PhxArtist Spotlight is an ongoing series explores what inspires and motivates Valley creatives, while leveraging the Museum’s reach in its community to support and expand awareness of working artists. Hear directly from artists working in Arizona here. For recent spotlights on Armida Kielty and Blaise Danio, click here.
About Phoenix Art Museum Since 1959, Phoenix Art Museum has provided millions of guests with access to world-class art and experiences in an effort to ignite imaginations, create meaningful connections, and serve as a brave space for all people who wish to experience the transformative power of art. Located in Phoenix’s Central Corridor, the Museum is a vibrant destination for the visual arts and the largest art museum in the southwestern United States. Each year, more than 300,000 guests engage with critically acclaimed national and international exhibitions and the Museum’s collection of more than 20,000 works of American and Western American, Asian, European, Latin American, modern and contemporary art, and fashion design. The Museum also presents a comprehensive film program, live performances, and educational programs designed for visitors of all ages, along with vibrant photography exhibitions made possible through the Museum’s landmark partnership with the Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org, or call 602.257.1880.
